West Bromwich Albion continued their impressive pre-season with a 4-1 win over Shrewsbury on Saturday, with two goals from new signing Jimmy Jay Morgan.
The Baggies bolstered their squad with the addition of the former Chelsea attacking midfielder, and he has racked up three goals and two assists in pre-season so far.
James Morrison will be hoping that the former Southampton youngster, who left St. Mary’s to join Chelsea, will be the attacking spark that they lacked last term, when they only scored 48 goals in 46 Championship games.
Continuing on the Southampton link, West Brom are still looking for a replacement for Tom Fellows, 12 months on from selling him to the Saints for £10m.
West Brom still need their new Tom Fellows
The Baggies still need a replacement for the English winger because their squad lacked creativity in the Championship in the 2025/26 campaign, particularly down the right flank.
Most assists for West Brom in 25/26 Championship | |
|---|---|
Player | Assists |
Mikey Johnston | 9 |
Aune Heggebo | 4 |
Alex Mowatt | 4 |
Callum Styles | 3 |
George Campbell | 2 |
Danny Imray | 2 |
Isaac Price | 2 |
Mikey Johnston, who played on the left wing, was the only player in the squad who provided more than four assists, whilst no players hit double figures in the division.
Danny Imray, who spent the second half of the season on loan from Crystal Palace, offered the most creativity down the right side of the pitch, with two assists from right-back.
None of the Baggies players came close to offering the 14 assists that Fellows supplied for the club in the 2024/25 Championship season, whilst he also assisted a goal against Wrexham at the start of last term before his move to the Saints went through.
The 23-year-old star then went on to assist eight goals in all competitions for Southampton last season, and is set to help them compete for promotion in the upcoming campaign.
West Brom and Southampton competing for the same signing
Adding creativity to the squad does not have to just come from signing wingers, though, as the club are looking at a defender who has shades of Fellows.
Journalist Sacha Tavolieri reports that West Bromwich Albion and Southampton are battling it out for the signing of Rodez right-back Nolan Galves in the summer transfer window.
The reporter claims that both the Baggies and the Saints have agreed a transfer fee with the Ligue 2 side, although the exact fee has not been disclosed.
Tavolieri adds that the player is yet to make a decision on which team he would prefer to join, but a ‘definitive’ choice is expected to come in the coming hours.
Morrison must push to convince the player to pick the Baggies because he could arrive to add some much-needed creative quality to the side down the right flank.
Whilst he is not an out-and-out winger like Fellows, Galves is a right-sided player who has the ability to consistently create chances for his teammates at the top end of the pitch.
25/26 Ligue 2 | Nolan Galves | Rank vs RBs |
|---|---|---|
Chances created | 48 | Top 3% |
Touches in opposition’s box | 52 | Top 7% |
Successful dribbles | 27 | Top 5% |
Big chances created | 10 | Top 5% |
xA | 4.60 | Top 5% |
Assists | 7 | Top 3% |
Goals | 0 | Bottom 1% |
His creative output in Ligue 2 for Rodez in the 2025/26 campaign shows that he could be exactly what West Brom were missing in the Championship last term.
He has the quality to get forward and create goals on a regular basis down the right flank, which is something that the Baggies supporters have not seen since Fellows was sold to Southampton.
Of course, that also means that the Saints could have two incredibly creative threats down their right flank if they sign Galves to partner him with Fellows next term, heavily strengthening their attack.
The 23-year-old defender does not offer much of a goal threat, having failed to score any league goals last term, but that was also the case for Fellows, who only scored four times in the 2024/25 campaign and is yet to score for Southampton.
Like the £10m winger, Galves is an excellent dribbler and crosser, providing plenty of excitement down the right wing, but he should not be expected to score many goals.
It is now down to the Baggies to ensure that the French full-back does not choose to make the move to St. Mary’s, as Fellows did, so that they can finally boast some creativity down the right.
